Real Madrid: What to expect from Gareth Bale vs. Eibar

Real Madrid will likely start Gareth Bale in their La Liga return.

Since Marco Asensio is returning from an ACL tear, Real Madrid will ease their young Spanish attacker into the right wing role. Zinedine Zidane has high expectations for Asensio as a regular starter when La Liga returns, but it’s hard to know how much Real can expect him to give after suffering a major injury.

But it’s also hard to gauge what Gareth Bale can offer. The Wales international looked strong to start the 2019-2020 La Liga campaign, scoring a brace against Villarreal within the league’s first few games. Injuries caused Bale’s play to slip thereafter, and while Zidane continued to give him starts, he was unproductive. Bale never scored in La Liga after the Villarreal game.

This Sunday against Eibar at the Alfredo Di Stefano, Bale is expected to draw the start for Real Madrid. There was a brief injury scare, but, per Carlos Forjanes of AS, Bale will be available against Eibar.

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Predicting the veteran forward’s role on Sunday is difficult, since both he and Asensio could use a tune-up game instead of a full workload. Lucas Vazquez could then be tasked with starting, but he seems to be the only option, unless Zidane uses a front two with Isco and Karim Benzema.

Since Bale isn’t coming off a serious injury, he could start the game but be substituted early for Asensio, allowing Zidane to get both players warmed up.

And both players could have an opportunity to shine against Eibar, whom Real defeated 4-0 in November with a fully healthy Eden Hazard.

If he plays, Bale will draw an assignment that should test him. Eibar’s left back, Cote, is one of the team’s best players.

The 30-year-old is a major defensive presence for the team, as WhoScored.com has him tabbed with two tackles per game and 1.2 interceptions per game.

Bale can do damage against Cote, but it will be a good matchup for him to get back into the swing of things and prove to Zidane he has what it takes to start against tougher competition.

As Ali Al Hassan wrote, this is Bale’s final chance to prove to Real Madrid’s decision-makers that he has what it takes to stay. The player may want to remain in Madrid for the foreseeable future, but with his wages, he’ll need to show Zidane and Co. that he can remain a valuable part of the squad. The quality is there, and he should have more than a few minutes to show it on Sunday.

For Bale, the key will be showing the athleticism everyone has been raving about over the past couple of weeks, as well as the ability to link-up with his teammates. He doesn’t have to contribute to a goal. Real will be looking for consistency in the final third from him in build-up play.